What happen to us?
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there are times the integrity of the elites are tested, there are times the loyalty of singaporeans are tested, there are also times the intelligence of the not so elites are put to the test.Originally posted by robertteh:If so many of our elites and their families in the public service and government bought properties in London or Australia and were prepared to flee the country at the first moment of crisis, should citizens be loyal and stay behind to defend the country?
As citizens, it is our duty to be loyal to our country but we should also have to examine whether elites' actions are looking after citizens' interests e.g. squeezing the citizens with higher costs of living or inviting foreigners to compete against their jobs.
those with average intelligence knows where they belong and when they should react. those with integrity stands by what they believe regardless of how others behave. For those who do not know when to stand up for their own country and when to disagree with their corrupt politicians, their integrity is certainly in doubt and their intelligence a
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Try this for an answer:Originally posted by thinkloud2004:When MM LKY said something about Malaysia, almost the ENTIRE Malaysia reacted. The PM, the ex-PM, cabinet members, party leaders (ruling and opposition), newspaper editors, businessmen, studetns....and the list goes on - voiced their concern and displeasure in the mass media.
BUT when they say something bad about us, it is all quiet on the southern front; and only MM's lone voice is fighting the battle.
Why like that?
Chooses one
(A)
MM knows what he is saying, just let him talk.
(B)
We cannot anyhow talk. Better shut up.
(C)
Not my problem. The Government must solve it.
(D)
Where got time? Make money more important.
The apology that wasn't. -
Singaporeans have witnessed 41 years of unbridled autocracy which through legalistic wrangling of laws and enforcements has brought about a compliant press and a compliant people who have lost their faculty of reasoning.Originally posted by sgdiehard:there are times the integrity of the elites are tested, there are times the loyalty of singaporeans are tested, there are also times the intelligence of the not so elites are put to the test.
those with average intelligence knows where they belong and when they should react. those with integrity stands by what they believe regardless of how others behave. For those who do not know when to stand up for their own country and when to disagree with their corrupt politicians, their integrity is certainly in doubt and their intelligence a
That is why when Malaysians reacted strongly to racist remarks by MM Lee, Singaporeans are rather muted and tame with no opinions on such matter.
The final outcome of an autocratic and authoritarian system of government : people have under the fear of penalites been cowered into believing all government policies and have largely lost their own reasoning power.
They have given up their rights as citizens ong long ago. Every single complaint whether it is about perpetual cost increases or elitist job protectionalism for the people connected to the party has been ignored with some propaganda, hypocrisy or legalistic wrangling of laws and regulations.
That is why the people could not do anything about high costs due to double charging on lands and corporatization of essential government services to allow government to charge higher fees and recover all costs even though citizens have paid for such services through the taxes.
A lot of citizens' hardship and problems have been largely ignored.
Such an apathy of the people has placed a extra burden on the few elites or thinking people that are left who will find it harder to put up alternative solutions because their own fellow citizens do not even care or listen to their independent views and feedbacks dismissing them often as complaints and grouses of the unhappy.
Elites however have been largely bought over by being absorbed into sinecure high-paying jobs in the public sector. These elites too have lost their fire or passion to air any views on unfair government policies and practices resulting in government going into business to compete against citizens for an economic pie, importing of foreigners to lower costs when costs are increased by government's own actions.
Without an active group of elites and citizens who could see and point out unfairness and inequities in government policies there would be only more cover-up of many problems as happened in NKF problems and posted under "20 Major government policy errors".
If democracy process is duly observed, press reports news truthfully and fairly and government practises accountable governance, does it mean we will end up like Thailand or Indonesia ?
Sadly, citizens have been brainwashed into believing their ministers and the press propaganda believing the by observing democratic election and accountable governance, it will lead to chaos.
Assumptions are made that any liberalising of press control, will lead to many irresponsible journalists writing all the inflammatory articles against the government called crusading journalism.
But isn't it more serious that without objective and truthful reporting of facts on Temasek's system of investing public taxes on Shin Corp there would be greater problems at the end leading to instability and chaos eventually which will be seen in street protests one day.
So it is wrong to talk about the danger of democratic practices or granting of press freedoms being the cause of instability and problems.
People have simply been hookwinked into believing untruths and half-truths as truths without any reasoning power dished out daily by the compliant press.
Given this state of apathy among the people and the elites, the government will only continue to put out their propaganda for brainwashing of the average joe and many of the ordinary citizens will tend to agree with whatever the government is saying.
This is why while Korea is catching up with Japan, Singapore leaders are able to put the blame for our lack of progress on people's lack of skills or some external factors. -
no disagreement with you on the singapore politics, but what has that got to do with the malaysians? the malaysians politicians cannot hope they can then manupilate the singaporeans because of our government. period.Originally posted by robertteh:Singaporeans have witnessed 41 years of unbridled autocracy which through legalistic wrangling of laws and enforcements has brought about a compliant press and a compliant people who have lost their faculty of reasoning.
That is why when Malaysians reacted strongly to racist remarks by MM Lee, Singaporeans are rather muted and tame with no opinions on such matter.
The final outcome of an autocratic and authoritarian system of government : people have under the fear of penalites been cowered into believing all government policies and have largely lost their own reasoning power.
They have given up their rights as citizens ong long ago. Every single complaint whether it is about perpetual cost increases or elitist job protectionalism for the people connected to the party has been ignored with some propaganda, hypocrisy or legalistic wrangling of laws and regulations.
That is why the people could not do anything about high costs due to double charging on lands and corporatization of essential government services to allow government to charge higher fees and recover all costs even though citizens have paid for such services through the taxes.
A lot of citizens' hardship and problems have been largely ignored.
Such an apathy of the people has placed a extra burden on the few elites or thinking people that are left who will find it harder to put up alternative solutions because their own fellow citizens do not even care or listen to their independent views and feedbacks dismissing them often as complaints and grouses of the unhappy.
Elites however have been largely bought over by being absorbed into sinecure high-paying jobs in the public sector. These elites too have lost their fire or passion to air any views on unfair government policies and practices resulting in government going into business to compete against citizens for an economic pie, importing of foreigners to lower costs when costs are increased by government's own actions.
Without an active group of elites and citizens who could see and point out unfairness and inequities in government policies there would be only more cover-up of many problems as happened in NKF problems and posted under "20 Major government policy errors".
If democracy process is duly observed, press reports news truthfully and fairly and government practises accountable governance, does it mean we will end up like Thailand or Indonesia ?
Sadly, citizens have been brainwashed into believing their ministers and the press propaganda believing the by observing democratic election and accountable governance, it will lead to chaos.
Assumptions are made that any liberalising of press control, will lead to many irresponsible journalists writing all the inflammatory articles against the government called crusading journalism.
But isn't it more serious that without objective and truthful reporting of facts on Temasek's system of investing public taxes on Shin Corp there would be greater problems at the end leading to instability and chaos eventually which will be seen in street protests one day.
So it is wrong to talk about the danger of democratic practices or granting of press freedoms being the cause of instability and problems.
People have simply been hookwinked into believing untruths and half-truths as truths without any reasoning power dished out daily by the compliant press.
Given this state of apathy among the people and the elites, the government will only continue to put out their propaganda for brainwashing of the average joe and many of the ordinary citizens will tend to agree with whatever the government is saying.
This is why while Korea is catching up with Japan, Singapore leaders are able to put the blame for our lack of progress on people's lack of skills or some external factors.
some singaporeans are brainwashed by propaganda into agreeing with everything the government says. there are also those who are brainwashed by propaganda into disagreeing with everything the government says. The only difference is the different propaganda.
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with our freedom of expression being curbed for 40 years do you think we can still talk?Originally posted by thinkloud2004:When MM LKY said something about Malaysia, almost the ENTIRE Malaysia reacted. The PM, the ex-PM, cabinet members, party leaders (ruling and opposition), newspaper editors, businessmen, studetns....and the list goes on - voiced their concern and displeasure in the mass media.
BUT when they say something bad about us, it is all quiet on the southern front; and only MM's lone voice is fighting the battle.
Why like that?
Chooses one
(A) MM knows what he is saying, just let him talk.
(B) We cannot anyhow talk. Better shut up.
(C) Not my problem. The Government must solve it.
(D) Where got time? Make money more important. -
Very, Very well written, Robertteh, Please allow my 2 cents worth addition to your well-worded statement. As long as the majority of the population are too young to know and too old to remember, this scenario will be status quo here in Singapore and it is really sad and disappointing. We always talk about the Separation ACT but we never touch, NEVER EVER touch on the INDEPENDENCE ACT. Maybe the new Ministers or someone here would care to tell us more about the INDEPENDENCE ACT (About the British Law of the KTM Land and about the Railway line operated by Malaysia all these years faithfully to assist the POOR to visit their relatives in the Mainland.)